Thursday afternoon it was time to get out of the office and take a break. So once again off to my usual haunt on the Ohre. The weather had warmed up slightly after 2 days of snow across the whole country on Monday & Tuesday and a thaw was setting in. I spent 3 hours beating up one side of the river in search of Perch, Pike and Zander, should there be any Zander... The only produce of the afternoons' fishing was one that got away (I think it was a Perch that didn't take the spinner properly) and a small Pike which measured 20cm in length.

Svatava & Ohre Rivers
6th November 2004

A very chilly autumn day saw Colin from New Hampshire, USA and I off to the Svatava and the Ohre rivers. Colin said that he wanted to learn more about fly fishing having been presented with a fly rod as a leaving present when he left a company he once worked for. So off we went to the Svatava so I could show Colin how to nymph fish. The river looked good and Colin was fishing the technique very well and even got a few bites but alas that was all; no fish to show. But hopefully a lesson learnt which will prove fruitful on future trips. After a short break for lunch the next stop was the Ohre to spin for predators. First we went to Cerny Mlyn (Black Mill) to try around the weir but gave up fishing there as nothing was happening and the weather was awful. Next stop was the Ohre at Cheb, below the castle. My usual haunt for spinning which I know very well. Here we managed to get in a good few hours fishing before the light beat us. Working our way along the river spinning along the bank and in the middle it looked like we were going to draw a blank again until we hooked a Jack (Baby) Pike. Then as always time and the weather got the better of us and it was time to "Call it a day" as Colin said.

Hamersky Potok
24th October 2004

Day 5 and the final day fishing Sam and I spent the afternoon and evening on the Hamersky Potok at Plana. We were fishing the stretch of water around the old mill on the road to Tachov. The stream is quite deep and slow as the water would have fed into the mill so there is a good concentration of fish. It was in this section that Sam changed from a nymph to a floating dry which he had tied himself and hooked a big Chub. It wasn't long before the sun dipped below the tree line making it too dark to fish in the trees so it was once again time to hit the road home.

Radbuza River
23rd October 2004

Day 4 and Sam and I ventured off to the Radbuza. The Radbuza is a small stream that springs in the Bohemian Forest only a few kilometers from the German border and flow northeast to Plzen where it is one of the 5 rivers that converge to for the Berounka. Due to the nature of the stream with its twists and turns and being over grown with trees and bushes all around a dry fly was out of the question. So on went the nymphs again. The stream is full of Trout and we were having to use strike indicators to act as buoyancy aids to prevent the nymphs from snagging the bottom as the flow of the water was quite slow in places making the nymphs sit on the bottom rather than travel down the stream in a natural manner. Fishing a long line with the aid of the strike indicators enabled us to fish at a distance and thus not scare the rather timid trout down the stream or into the very deep pools located along the stream. By the end of the day 3 trout were caught, quite a good result for this type of water which I would say is for the expert fly fisherman.

Tepla River
22nd October 2004

Day 3 and we were in the Tepla under the Brezova Reservoir on the outskirts of Karlovy Vary. The water was running out of the reservoir at a rapid rate so care had to be taken when wading in the river. Although it was rarely above knee deep there were some very large rocks with algae on them that could have easily caused us to loose our balance and end up in the drink. Due to the flow rate of the water we went for the gold head nymphs from the start and it wasn't too long then the first fish was reeled in. We were hoping to catch some of the big Grayling that are in the river but instead ended up with some small Brown Trout. Then all too soon, it seemed, the sun dropped behind the hills and it was time to call it a day.

Krapicky Potok
21st October 2004

The next day saw myself and Sam up early to visit the Vylov (Fish Harvest) at the Americka Pond in Frantiskovy Lazne. The event was a sight to see. Men stood in flat bottom boats on the water scooping fish from the lake with smaller nets to sort them by size and species whilst up on the banks the women were selling the life fish that were not taken off to market. Whatever was in the lake you could buy, Trout, Carp, Pike, Catfish, Eels, Perch and Zander, to name but a few species that we saw. After the Vylov it was time to go fishing again. Today we stayed local and visited the Krapicky Potok. Starting in the village of Krapice we set of up stream in search of the fish. Half an hour or so after starting fishing we found the fish. Two nice 1lb trout laying in 2 inches of water. Trying to move in a fish was a job easier said than done and the fish were soon spooked and off they went to a deeper part of the stream under one of the many tree roots. Unfortunately that was to be the standard for the days fishing. Seeing hundreds of Trout but getting up to them on the tiny stream was the trick. Too far and you couldn't see them or get to them and too close and they were off. Today the fish won the battle and we eventually went home after drawing a blank.

Svatava River
20th October 2004

Monday morning saw me back in Prague collecting Sam, from Arizona, USA, from his hotel to start his week long R&R fishing break after spending 3 months stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan. After a day visiting Frantiskovy Lazne and taking care of some necessary chores it was time to hit the river. The day started clear but clouded over so the dry flies were changed to nymphs. It wasn't long after the gold head nymphs went on that the Grayling started biting and the fun of fishing started. 4 hours later and at total of 8 fish being caught and released it was time to head of home as the light started to fade.

Mze River
1st October 2004

Today's fishing trips was a non-starter at first as the weather was originally forecast as rain. However by Wednesday the forecast had changed to overcast with a chance of rain, so off we went. After meeting Christian from Denmark at the services on the D5 near Stribro, we drove to the Mze at Pavlovice. The river looked good and the sun was doing its hardest to burn through the clouds that were starting to thin. It wasn't long before eventually the sun broke through the clouds and the river came to life. A few meters, flies and casts later Christian had hooked his first Grayling. The fish actually got off the hook so it went down as the "one that got away". Then something happened. We don't know if it was caused by the weather, the river, the temperature, the flies we were using, or what; but the fishing just died. One minute there are signs of life and the next, NOTHING! Nothing much for the rest of the day... The fish were rising but as soon as you cast near them they stopped and started rising elsewhere on the river. This was definitely one of those days...

Mze River
19th September 2004

Day 3, the final day of Bruce's fishing break and we were near Stribro (Silver in Czech) on the river Mze. Today was again a wonderfully sunny day, but hotter than before and probably a little to hot for the dries. The original plan was the fish the river Strela around Zlutice but there was a canoeing competition being held and they had opened up the reservoir to increase the flow of the river not only making it unfishable because of the current but also turning the water dirty as the river is mostly lined by farm land so it has muddy banks which are liable to erosion. When we got to the river there were a few rises but nothing considerable. There were also 3 or 4 other fishermen on the river. It wasn't long before Bruce had found a nice shoal of Chub and caught a biggie. Having never seen a Chub before he originally thought it was some kind of river Carp. Then after 3 days of what Bruce said was very enjoyable fishing, it was time to pack up and leave, both due to the time of day and the need to get Bruce back to Prague and his wife.

Svatava River
18th September 2004

Day 2 of Bruce's fishing break and we were in Svatava village on the river Svatava.. Today was a wonderful sunny day, perfect for dry flies. And when we got the river the fish were rising. Kitted up we walked up river to the start point and the fun began. The Grayling were striking the flies hard and fast. In fact so fast that we only caught one fish all day. Bruce having never experienced Grayling before took a little while to adjust his strike speed so that the hook engaged into the fish's mouth before he had time to spit it out. He came close, very close a few times but the fish got off the hook. Needless to say today the fish out fished the fishermen.

Farsky Fishery
17th September 2004

Today saw me back in Prague collecting Bruce from Missouri, USA, for the start of his weekends fishing. Seeing as this was to be a half day fishing Bruce and I went to the Farsky Fishery on the Czech/German border at Broumov. The fishery is a private fishery but very good fishing and stocked with Trout, Pike, Zander, Perch, Carp and Catfish. The weather was a typical September's day; overcast but warm. We were keeping it simple and spinning for the predator fish; Perch, Pike, Zander and Trout. It wasn't long before Bruce was into his first Pike (a picture of which is above) and in need of some plasters complements of the fish's razor sharp teeth. The day's fishing totalled 2 Pike and 1 tiddler Perch.

Svatava River
13th September 2004

Day 2 of the Crockard-Pearce Mid-European Tour fishing break the guys left the Ladies to discover the wonder of Frantiskovy Lazne and the guys went fishing on their own. The day started off overcast but around 1p.m. brightened up and turned out to be another smashing day for the dry flies. Today we ventured up river from the town of Svatava on the river Svatava to the village of Hrebny, where there is a 13th Century castle of the same name perched high above the river. The river was crystal clear and it wasn't long before Francis and Tom were kitted up and into their first fish. A Grayling on a white dry fly. After a few hours fishing we stopped for lunch and moved up stream to the river just north of the town of Olovi where once again more Grayling were caught. At about 5 the guys decided enough was enough and called it a day... Time to head home for a cocktail or two...

Svatava River
12th September 2004

With Autumn drawing closer and the summer days shortening the fly fishing season started of again with some excellent dry fly weather. Departing after breakfast for the Svatava river just north of Sokolov the weekends group consisting of Francis and Paula Crockard and Tom and Anne Pearce from Alabama, USA got kitted up and proceeded to the water for the start of their mid European Tour break; the strain of pounding the streets looking at the various monuments and museums around Europe obviously taking its toll. The day started off fine with some rain over night but with high level cloud in the sky which should have burnt off before lunch. However no sooner was we in the water and the first short, heavy shower started. Luckily it only lasted 5 minutes. No sooner has the fishing picked up when the second, heaver shower started and once again past within 5 minutes. After this the weather improved and the sun broke through the clouds. Once the weather started to clear and the heat came back to the air, so the fish started rising to the dry flies. Some taking the bait aggressively and some delicately sucking the fly from the surface... All said and done, all had a wonderful day fishing with the catch totalling 1 small Brown Trout (Paula Crockard, first catch of the day) and 2 nice sized Grayling (Anne Pearce and Francis Crockard) plus plenty of fish that got off the hook and even more missed strikes.

Katerina Ponds
10th September 2004

Departing for the Katerina ponds at 6am was to say the least a refreshing start to the day. Not my usual haunt, these three ponds set beside the Soos Nature Reserve are brimming with lots of species of fish but today I was after Pike. First I tried my floating wobblers, then the rattling wobblers, a couple of spoons, and finally hit gold with a little blue and silver spinner with a red and white shaft. I must say that I have never seen Pike jump clear of the water when taking a fish but these did... Not the biggest Pike I have seen but good fighters and worth the catch.

Ohre River
31st August 2004

Yet again, to the Ohre in Cheb to steal a few hours fishing during dusk before night fall. I got to the river at around 7pm at the start of dusk and once again started to fish for Perch but this time with a spinner. The few hours before night fall proved quite productive with some nice Perch taking the spinner before the dark blanket of night had made it too dark to fish. I had changed my rig this time using braided line instead of mono. Apparently the lure follows a more natural movement as it is not hindered by the wire trace. Watch this space to see if it works.

Ohre River
6th August 2004

Once again, to the Ohre in Cheb to steal a few hours fishing before work. I got to the river about 1 hour before sun-up, around 6am and started to fish for Perch with a 1.8cm wobbler. The wobbler is the smallest I have seen and is meant to float but due to the wire trace it sinks which is just fine as then it gets down to the fish. The wobbler is made by a company in Poland called "Dorado" and is coloured the same as a small Perch. If any body knows of any smaller or small lures of a similar type I would be glad to know of the name and company that makes them. The lure worked well with a few missed bites and some nice Perch. I wanted to carry on fishing but once the sun hit the water it killed the fishing... So as usual that was that for the day.

Ohre River
31st July 2004

Today I was fishing the Ohre below Cheb castle again... I had originally planned to spin for Perch but when I got to the river it was not to be. The weather was very hot and the fish were just lazing on the surface of the river. I could see the Perch chasing the lures as I retrieved them through the water but they were not taking the bait. So I decided to fly fish for the coarse fish on the surface. I tried many, many flies that I thought would work. The small whites and browns similar to those bouncing around on the waters surface. But the fish either were not interested or didn't care... Finally I put on a hopper and bingo! The big Roach were taking the flies. They were taking them either off the surface or just below the surface on a slow retrieve. All the while I was fishing I could see shoals and shoals of Chub. The size of the Chub ranged from a few inches to 2 foot long. Just swimming up and down the river teasing me. I could feel them saying you can see us but you won't catch us. The Chub in the pictures above were photographed under the bridge below the castle. The must have measured a minimum of 2 foot long.

Tepla & Svatava Rivers
21st July 2004

Wednesday saw day 4 of Reiner and Toms fishing holiday. We had planned to hit the Trout section of the Ohre 15km north east of Karlovy Vary, but when we got there the water was very fast, very high and very, very BROWN!!! Plan B... What plan B... After some quick thinking we realised that the only river not dirtied by the storms during the night would have to be below reservoirs. That left just one. So off we went back to the Tepla in Karlovy Vary. After a combination of spinning, dry fly, wet fly and nymphing and only catching 5 fish between the 3 of us we had lunch and moved to the Svatava. This time, we fished the Svatava above the town of Olovi, where the river comes through the once gates of an old mill of some kind. Upon arrival we saw fish taking flies of the surface, thus on went the dries. In the space of 1 hour Reiner and Tom managed to catch in excess of 20 small Trout, including 1 Rainbow Trout. What the Rainbow was doing there I don't know as Rainbows are not listed in the Svatava. Hopefully Reiner and Toms final 3 days on the water will prove as fruitful as the first 2 days.?!

Mze River & Halstrov Bily Reservoir
20th July 2004

Tuesday and day 3 of Reiner and Toms fishing holiday we drove down to the Mze at Pavlovice. The weather was perfect. Blue skys with the odd big fluffy white cloud. Things looked very promising... How wrong... The fish were not biting... Dries were tried, wets, nymphs, even spinners... But nothing... Next we moved up river to the Upper Mze above Tachov. Here the water looked more promising but no... Not even a nibble... What was happening??? Finally we drove back up country to the Halstrov Bily Reservoir on the Venerovsky Potok. The same story... The fish were just not interested... Then it happened. The sky suddenly darkened in a matter of seconds and then suddenly lit up with a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky in the distance. Finally we knew why the fishing was off. A storm was brewing. The days tally ended at 1 very small Brown Trout and 2 Perch. Maybe better luck tomorrow.?!

Tepla River
19th July 2004

Monday morning and day 2 of Reiner and Toms fishing holiday we went to the Tepla. We started fishing at Cilhelny at the golf course (trying not to get hit by a ball) Tom using a May Fly and Reiner opting for a Goldhead Nymph with a bite indicator and managed to catch a few small Brown Trout and a few Bleak and Roach between the both of them... After lunch we moved down to the section of the river below the Brezova reservoir. This is where the fishing got interesting... Really interesting... Reiner continued with his Goldhead and Tom changed tackle to a spinning rig. The section of the river that we fished is only about 1km long, quite fast flowing with some quite deep pools along the shallow run of the river. Nymphing along the deep pools Reiner got into a very big Brown Trout but lost him whilst playing him in, but later redeemed himself by landing a nice sized Brown Trout followed by and even better Grayling. Thomas on the other hand had wandered off down stream and landed 7 Brown Trout and a big Rainbow. What will tomorrow bring???

Svatava River
18th July 2004

Sunday morning, the start to a perfect day fishing.... My Guests today are Reiner and Thomas, from Germany on a week long fishing holiday.... Ohhhh HEAVEN! We got to the Svatava river at about 10am and started to walk up the river to where we were going to start the days fishing. Not 5 minutes after the first cast and both Tom and Reiner were into their first Brown Trout. Both were fishing dry flies, either May Flies or Black Ants and constantly hitting the fish... I was right. Because of the late spring and summer the fishing has continued through to the middle of July...and hopefully longer.... By the end of the day and having covered the 3Km stretch of river the catch was well over 20 Brown Trout, 5 or 6 Grayling and one "GOLDFISH"... Yes, a goldfish... Looking into the river we could see a shoal of them... Obviously somebody's unwanted pets..

Otava River
12th July 2004

Early Monday morning Stan, Jasper (not the ghost), Wouter, Edwin and the ever so cute Liselore all from Holland met in Strakonice to begin the days fishing on the Otava river in the Sumava national park. We arrived at the river our first thoughts were that this is a big river.... Having spent the first hour or so teaching the capable and not so capable how to cast a fly line they ventured out onto the water to put practice into action... Having "Mastered"??? the art of casting we went further up the river above the town of Susice hoping to find a smaller river. A fishable section was found and once again the flies were in the water... and the trees... and the rocks... and the grass... Remind me to buy a lot more flies the next time I take out a party of beginners... And charge them double to pay for them... The final part of the day we ventured to the very top of the Otava river where we met a local fisherman who raised every bodies hopes and drive by proving that there were fish in the river (he caught 3 in 10 minutes)... But alas many flies and one broken rod tip (My fly rod) later (thanks Lisy) the guys and gal decided that enough was enough and ventured of back to Prague to drownd their sorrows in a pint, as do all fishermen that don't catch anything, and talk about the one that got away. But at the end of the day all had a thoroughly good time and I look forward to them coming back in the future... Next time they bring their own flies.... And Lisy, a rod...

Svatava River/Chodovsky Potok/Libocky Potok
9th July 2004

Friday morning and Scot from the USA and myself are planning to fish the Svatava and some other surrounding waters. Bad start... When we got to the Svatava the river was a muddy raging torrent, caused by the 3 hour storm that passed over the region the evening before. We moved further up stream where there shouldn't be so much water flowing into the river but the story was still the same. After a few hours practising his casting on the wider Svatava Scot and I ventured off to find some better rivers to fish. The first was the Chodovsky Potok. The section of the stream that is trout water is actually a reservoir at the town of Tatrovice. We tried but the fish were not biting. Next we moved off to the Upper Libocky Potok above the reservoir at Krajkova. Here we saw the first sign of fish in the water and sure enough a few casts later and a few brown trout were caught on a skinny little red ant wet fly. That was all the fish that was caught all day. It seems the storm the day before had killed off the fishing in the majority of rivers for the day.

Svatava River
3rd July 2004

Today, my Japanese fishing guest, Toru and I returned to the Svatava river to see if the water had improved.. What a difference.. The water level was at least 3 foot lower and flowing at its normal rate. The weather started out OK but soon developed into a very heavy storm, complete with thunder and lightning. It was during this time that we thought it would be a good idea to stop fishing and use the opportunity to venture up stream to see what else was doing on the water..... The storm lasted about 30 minutes and once the clouds had cleared the sun started shining on the river and the fish started rising to all the food that was now being washed down the river... I love fishing after it's been raining... No sooner had we got back into the river and the first fish of the day was caught. A nice brown trout. This was followed by a few more brownies.. We ventured a good kilometre up river and started to work our way down the river covering the far banks under the overhanging trees.. The river was brimming with Grayling. This was really fun. At last the fishing was getting good. It seems that the summer this year will be a cool one so the fishing promises to stay good all the way through to the end of the season. Seven hours of fishing and an excellent catch of Brown and Brook Trout and Grayling and it was time to go home... Toru will be fishing on the river in the morning and has promised to follow it up with a write up of the days fishing.

Ohre River
20th June 2004

Sunday afternoon and once again on the Ohre under Cheb Castle. Today however I decided to try spinning... Having not fished the spinning method since I was a child on the River Lee in London, I thought it was time I tried it again. Coarse fishing in Europe seems to be restricted to two methods; Lure and Ledgering. So seeing as I had no ledgering fishing equipment I chose to opt for lure fishing. As they say, "When in Rome...." OK so you are restricted to the predatory fish but they do make much better eating than the other species of fresh water fish. On the whole I must say that it was fun... I rigged up with an 8lb breaking strain line (not because of the fish but with lure fishing you tend to snag the bottom and the roots more and the stronger line give you an even chance of pulling the offending object to the surface before the line breaks and you loose your lure or spinner) and a wire trace fitted with snap swivels. Lure fishing is in a way a bit like fly fishing. If you don't catch anything, change lure and/or move. It is more like hunting rather than sitting for hours on end, eating and drinking, waiting for a fish that is probably not there. Working my way up the river, fishing the weirs and under bridges and around the overhanging trees and lily pads I ended up with a nice catch of Perch once again. Unfortunately no Pike or Zander but there is always next time.

Ohre River
19th June 2004

The section of the River Ohre I was fishing today runs through Cheb. I fished it for two reasons. The first because it's close. And the second, because I wanted to try fly fishing for predatory coarse water fish. Having spent the past few weeks eyeing the river to see where the fish were I decided to start fishing under the wooden foot bridge below the castle. I must say that things got off to a good start. Third cast and I hooked a fair size Perch (Smallmouth Bass for our US readers). The morning went on like this, a few casts and a fish, move location, a few casts and a fish... This was fun.... I quickly found out that the best colour of fly or lure was a combination of yellow and white, possibly with a bit of silver mixed in too. So after four hours on the water, a nice bag of Perch, and waders full of water (must remember to use chest waders on coarse waters), I decided that it was time to call it a day.. Also the river banks were starting to fill up with "conventional" coarse fishermen and I didn't want to annoy the locals by wrecking their swims..

Mze River
2nd June 2004

After a 2 week break from fishing due to the birth of my Son Samuel it was once again time to get back to work. The weather in west Bohemia was to say the least "Perfect". The day started with a thick layer of fog which was to burn off by the late morning leaving only a beautiful blue sky. Having got to the river and parked the car I took Randy up stream to what the locals know as the "Black Bridge". Black Bridge is not a bridge but a viaduct for trains. Situated under the bridge is an old mill, a few cottages and a beautiful weir. The upper side of the weir having some quite deep water which would obviously hold the bigger Trout and Grayling. The lower side was a typical fast flowing river with lots of gravel and sand bars with deep troughs. The days fishing was started with nymphing under the weir. Having covered all the water for about 50 meters under the weir and having a few bites it was time to break for lunch. This proved to be a good move. During the break the sun cleared the trees and started to hit the water. The hatch started rising and with them came the Trout and Grayling. So lunch finished it was time to swap the nymphs for dry flies and back to work again. The rest of the day was spent catching Trout and Grayling on little brown dry flies and hoppers and trying not to slip and fall into the river.... What more could a man ask for........... Finally the fishing season was in "Full Swing"!

Svatava River
16th May 2004

The thirty first day of the season I decided to return to the Svatava river to see if the river had improved.. In short the answer was "NO"!!! The weather was beautiful and by all accounts it should have been perfect for dry fly in the evening. Having decided to go fishing in the evening do the very good weather I thought this will be it.... Wrong!!! The river although clearer than before was still a little discoloured and the water is a good 12 inches higher than it should be... Thus the water is flowing very fast. The usual sand banks that would normally be along the river letting fishermen walk along the centre of the river are all under water... The water may need another 2 to 4 weeks to drain out of the encatchment area of the Svatava basin and the river to become more hospitable to fishermen...

Mze River
13th May 2004

The twenty eighth day of the season the group from London and myself headed off to the Mze River, which runs West to East through the middle of Western Bohemia. Having arrived at the river at Pavlovice we set about "checking out" our quarry.. It wasn't long before a few fish were spotted lying in the troughs of the pools and under the bridge. So spirits raised, we set about our task... The weather today was better than the day before. It didn't rain over night but the sky was very overcast. On went the nymphs and the games began.. Working their way down stream from the bridge at Pavlovice, Tim and Joanna covered just about every pool over a good 1.5 Km length of water; but still nothing to show. Having stopped for a lunch break and a cup of tea we continued the afternoons' fishing. A little bit further down stream the river slowed and deepened to a very gentle river. We all agreed that in the coming weeks the river would make the perfect dry fly river with a little sun and the hatch rising from the depths. Then as if the man "up stairs" had been listening to our wishes the clouds began to break and the sun started shining. This in turn brought out the flies and the fish started rising. On went the dry flies and once again the clock started ticking... Unluckily time ran out before anybody managed to catch anything. But all agreed that this was a river to definitely come back to..... We look forward to their return in due course.....

Strela River
12th May 2004

The twenty seventh day of the season a group from London, England took a break from their conference and "Went Fishing". The 12th started out very promising. Sunny but not too hot and a light wind.... All that was to change.... On route to the river one hell of a rain shower came over us, combined with some thunder and lightening... This in turn discoloured the water. The mud coming from the banks of the river being eroded away, rather than being washed down off the surrounding fields. Saying that the water was fairly clear and at certain depths the bottom could be seen... Not to be totally beaten by the weather the group started fishing before time caught up with us and we would have to call it a day.... But alas time did catch up with us and we had to call it a day... Ironically after we packed up and were finishing off our tea, the fish started rising; taking the flies hovering around the waters surface. Such is life.....

Krapicky Potok
9th May 2004

The twenty fourth day of the 2004 season I decided to fish the Krapicky Potok again. Seeing as my partner is due to give birth to our Son at any second I thought it best not to venture too far without good cause. The past week the weather has been very wet, with a lot of rain over night. This should have told me to stay at home but feeling claustrophobic I ventured out to try my luck... Because of the cold, overcast weather I set up my nymphs knowing that the fish would still be on the bottom of the water. However when I got to the potok I was shocked at how much the water level has risen. The normal depth and flow of the water had doubled to what it should be and the water was a murky brown colour, the rain and fast flowing water having stirred up the silt and mud on the bottom. So venturing up stream I decided to try the usual spots where the fish lie under the weirs. This proved very much fruitless as the water was only visible to a depth of about 6 inches, after that it resembled cold tea. Also the flow was very, very fast. My nymphs were being washed down stream before they had a chance to fall the depth of the pool under the weirs. I even resorted to weighting the line 4 inches up from the nymph with coarse fishing weights. This did the trick but after 15 minutes fishing the weir I gave up and continued up stream.... The whole section of the potok from Krapice to Ostroh was the same. Water too fast, and too dirty for fishing... Let's hope the weather improves soon and gives the rivers a chance to drain off.

Svatava River
2nd May 2004

The seventeenth day of the 2004 fishing season saw me fishing the Svatava River between the towns of Svatava and Olovi. Having been in the area arranging another cottage for rent to visiting fishermen I decided to kill two birds with one stone and took my fishing gear to get in a few hours. Having set up my rod with two nymphs I progressed to the waters edge.... The rock in the river were very slippery and combined with the current it was very difficult to walk. My first opinion was that the fishing was going to be a washout... And I was right... The weather was fine but the following day there had been a very big storm over the Czech Republic which subsequently washed a lot of silt and dirt into the water, effectively killing the fishing... How are the fish to feed when they can't see the food coming towards them. I did however find some very nice troughs and pools that would be good for nymphs and dry flies once the water cleared. Will be going back in a few weeks to conclude things with the cottage owner and will again visit the river... Hopefully I will have more to report.

Odrava River and Kynzvartsky Potok
25th April 2004

The tenth day of the 2004 fishing season saw me fishing the Odrava River and the Kynzvartsky Potok. Having met a policeman friend who told me where there is a really good spot for Grayling at the confluence of the Ohre and the Odrava Rivers, and being shown where (I got some really strange looks from the locals when the coppers dropped me off and told me where to fish). I tackled up with my 3 nymphs on a 2 foot leader with the nymphs spaced about 6 inches apart and the 2nd and 3rd nymph on 4 inch droppers, and my usual WF floating line on my 8 foot travel rod. The weather was very cloudy and even tried to rain at times. This made things very cold.. To make matters worse, I also found out that my waders had 2 very small holes in one leg. So there I was ready to go with one wet foot. I started to fish using the Czech nymphing method, working my way up stream in the Ohre towards the Odrava, when I snagged an under water branch or weed bank. In doing so I lost 3 nymphs. That's 1 of the 2 problems with Czech Nymphing.. If you snag your line underwater or in the trees you loose 3 flies at once... The other buggeration is that the flies and lines keep tangling.... This is definitely a method for patient minded. After this I crossed the Ohre (which is about waist deep) into the mouth of the Odrava and started to work my way upstream. Casting alternately to the left side and then to the right 5 or 6 times and then taking one or two steps forward... After about 300 meters of following this pattern I got a little disheartened. Why were there no fish? Not just not biting but no signs either... No tiddlers scuttling upstream when you move too close to them, NOTHING.... This was when I decided to walk along the bank for a while. Looking down in to the river I could see everything... Muddy or sandy bottom... Tree roots... Rocks... Weeds... But no fish... NOT EVEN CHUB... So I continued up stream searching for the fish until I met the Kynzvartsky Potok... Here I saw signs of life (even if it was a 3 inch tiddler). In conclusion I caught NOTHING all day... 4 hours and 4 kilometers walking up the river and nothing... Ohh well, some you win and some you loose... About 2 years ago a motorway was built over the river about 1/3rd of the way upstream from the Ohre. I believe that the fishing may have been spoilt by the construction, noise and possible pollution and may take a few years to recover. Other than that I will return to the Odrava during the late summer to see if things are any different and chance a dry fly.

Krapicky Potok
18th April 2004

The third day of the 2004 fishing season saw me once again fishing the Krapicky Potok. This time I decided to only fish the section between Krapice and Seeberg. Once again the fish were taking nymphs and this time two were caught (and released). Not the biggest fish but a nice size for a small river/stream.. As they say, "Little river, Little fish....